(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
(8 ) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?
(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list? Don't list them out.

I've played HttT way too many times to answer 1-9 but I can say that the distribution of villages and the location of the sceptre is still WAY too random to be fun. It is concieveable that you could play this level 5 times and never even see the sceptre. I'm not against the randomness, it just needs to be reduced.

What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?

Easy, Medium (but didn't beat it), 0.8.7 all the way to 1.0.0

How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

7. It's not all that tough (all in all), but it's extremely long and aggravating

How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

clear

How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

clear, not very interesting though

What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

killing trolls in caves is long and tedious

How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

-45

What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

One of the following :

1. Remove it altogether, say Lionel had the scepter (with the appropriate attack)

2. Diversify the ennemies. Say one troll, one undead and one rebel dwarves

AND ADD ROADS. I don't mean to shout, but getting the guys (non-dwarves) through caves without roads is just ... ughhh. The scenario is pretty aggravating as is, with having to fight nothing but trolls, if it is slow to a crawl too...

How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?)

~400-600, don't remember much

About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list? Don't list them out.

Two dwarven lords, a bunch of steelclads, some thunderguards...

P.S. Also, I think Kalenz should be removed from the cave scenarios. Say he went to his elvish homeland to preparate the welcome. He could come back again either in 'a choice must be made' or 'home of the north elves'.

1) medium 1.0
(2) both 1 & 10 I did this one over and over and never got close to the scepter so a 10. Then I tried one more time, went around a corner, there it was, all over so a 1.
(3) clear enough
(4) it was ok
(5) Almost none of my saved units could move more than 2 hexes. The ones that could died quickly.
(6) 1
(7) The movement is too restrictive. I'm ok with slowing the units down, but not this much.
(8 ) Can't remember how much gold. It wasn't lots, but plenty to get the job done if it didn't last too many turns.
(9) 4 or 5

1=Easy
2=3
3=very
4=Why is the British spelling 'Sceptre' suddenly used in place of 'Scepter'?
5=none
6=4
7=a) Make it harder! It is very anticlimatic... but that might just be the particular map I got. Make it consistent!
b) I don't understand why the entire map is randomized instead of just the location of the scepter... it gets annoying sometimes[1].

[1]It also caused a bug where replays don't work, but this should be fixed anyway.

1: Medium
2: 10 (I haven't completed it yet)
3: very clear
4: it's fine
5: being swamped by enemies and being unable to move faster then a crawl due to slow healers. Also being able to find the sceptre before the turns run out due to slow healers
6: 1, so far it is the first I have not enjoyed
7: getting rid of the slow healer problem, a dwarf healer or roads maybe
8: a little over 313
9: 7 level 3, 15 level 2

2) depending on map generation: 1-6
Removing the shroud/Fog of war from this map really made this map easily playable - perhaps abit too easy as you can reload the map as often as you want until you get a map where you onl yhave to fight 1-2 enemies to get to the sceptre.

3) very clear - and easy to find now

4) Fun, entertaining... "esp. the aftermath where it says the sceptre is a "get out of jail..err caves" card :lol:

5) in 1.12 : none
Compared to the earlier versions its really easy now

6) hmm... honestly ... 1
It lost alot of its flavor if you dont have to actually search te sceptre anymore... dunno whats better though - a map being too easy b/c you can see where it is or a map prolly being too hard b/c you cant see it ...

7)
If you keep the "no shroud" version: give the AI more money again to recruit troops - I only had to fight through 2 enemy leaders recruiting 3 trrops each....

If you enable shroud again:
Should be fine I guess - searching will be a pain again, but at least the enemy isnt overwhelming anymore

[Edit]
Oh... how about an early finishing bonus ? Or a hint that you shoouldnt recruit alot of troops ?
As I expected to get massive enemies to compensate for the fact that I could see the sceptre now I recruited tons of dwarves.... leaving me crippled (moneywise) in the next scenario.... Not a real complaint, but having to replay a scenario because you enlisted too many troops and finished it early is no fun/challenge at all.

(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
Medium 1.0.2 Win32
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
I don't find it particularly hard, in that my strategy seems to be generally successful, and I can make good progress through most of the level. But I keep just getting wrecked by some randomness, like three bosses ganging up on you out of nowhere. I'm sure I have the skill and the strategy to beat it, I just don't know if I want to spend the time. (I've already spent 5+ hours on this level).
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
"Find the scepter" is clear, but the map is HUGE, random, and your dudes don't move with any speed.
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Okay.
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
The first time I tried it, there were no villages until after I fought two bosses. The second time, there were 10 villages, and then all the bosses were right at the end. Obviously, I didn't beat it either way. Not having access to a sufficient quantity of healing is definitely the most challenging thing on the level. The villages are sparse and everyone moves so slow anyway. If I had quick mages, I'd be set, but I don't think I should have to replay the game just to get some usable mages.
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
It would be ok if you could actually develop some tactical advantages by using different terrain or something. But it's basically just run through tunnels until you hit a wall of trolls, blast them, and keep going. Unless you're next to an enemy leader who just keeps pumping them out, in which case you lose.
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
First off, you should never have your keep randomly placed near a wall so you only get 3 recruiting spots. I couldn't hardly believe it when that happened to me; I obviously just restarted the level. Some kind of hint or guideposts to finding the scepter would be nice too. It's hard in 40 turns just to cross the map if it's on the other side.
(8 ) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?
Not much. Less than 200, I think. But I don't know how much that really matters; you don't have time to sit around and recruit/recall anyway. The one game, I had so many villages, I was able to produce another dozen dwarves or so, but my 13 on screen units were no match for the computer's 15 onscreen units.
(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list?
About 5 relevant dwarves, tons of irrelevant Elves/Paladins/etc., plus White Mage and Mage of Light, but they're useless because they aren't quick.

Edit: I've now played the scenario about 6 times, for a total of 12+ hours, and I still have yet to even see the scepter. There's nothing that sucks more than when it gets to around turn 34 or so, and you can see that there's nowhere for Konrad or Li'sar to get to by turn 40. I hate this level.

(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
Easy 0.9.7
Medium 1.0.?
Medium 1.1.2a

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
Was 10, had to restart frequently and got buried in trolls even on easy. Now (1.1.2a) is a 1. The easiest scenario in the campaign so far.

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Very clear.

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Okay.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
0.9-1.0 Going one way -- many trolls up the rear, lose initial villages. May not make it to the scepter. Going two ways -- costs a lot! Hard to know which side there will be more enemies on so have to put a substantial force on each side.
1.1.2a -- the major challenge was resisting the tendency to overrecruit. I restarted after realizing I'd overrecruited and bought less and still it was too much.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
Was 10 because of the challenge, now about a 3. The only fun was intimidating the trolls with my resilient guardsmen and levelling up all my level 1 units.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
The scenario is just not fun in 1.1.2a, because it is much too easy. I think it could have been balanced just by giving you enough villages near your start castle to ensure you could afford a substantial enough force to win, and leaving it at that. Maybe start in an underground city like in Captured! in EI. The shroud and not knowing which way to go was the fun part!

(8 ) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?
A lot, every time. Most recently 950.

(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list?
1.1.2a: 14 level 3, 30+ level 2, including 10 level 2 dwarves. I mostly used level 1 units though. A lot of guardsmen. The level 2's were 2 steelclads (one for each tunnel), 2 quick white mages, and 1 level 3 which was a shyde.
previously: about the same but not as good a selection of units for underground.

scott wrote:(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?

Medium, latest version (1.02, dled recently and that's what the .app says)

scott wrote:(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

10/10, far too hard for medium

scott wrote:(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

Perfectly fine "Find the Sceptre of Fire, easy..."

scott wrote:(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

Don't really remember, don't recall there being much of either though, as previous levels handled the storyline stuff

scott wrote:(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?

It took 87 turns to find the sceptre? Only map I had to cheat on in that campaign because I did not want to play through it again

scott wrote:(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)

Initially it was quite cool, sent two groups out in either direction, quickly had to reinforce the troll side but Li'sar and Kalenz did quite well, captured the enemy base to the north. But it got very tedious very quickly. A one or a two out of a ten.

scott wrote:(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?

If it's possible to reveal an area of the map (perhaps by creating a unit to force shroud update and then kill it?) so that the sceptre's location is visible, then that would help tremendously. As sending out groups to explore is not successful at all.

scott wrote:(8) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?

About 300 to 400

scott wrote:(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list? Don't list them out.

A few level 2's and my prive Dragonguard who kicked many a troll backside.

This screnario needs no trolls, less enemies, a smaller map or a non-randomly generated map.

Did it again, add 100 to frustration cause Kalenz died.
I left him behind with 4 other units but he died so rather than do it again i just changed a trigger so i didn't lose when he died(scummy yes, but i was going to win in about 2 turns and i thought this was better than to reload 10000 times).

1st edit was because the 8 ) turned out to be a smiley

Last edited by commander keen on June 7th, 2006, 4:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?

Just completed it in 1.1.4, medium difficulty. (Due to a reported (and fixed?) bug in version 1.1.4, Delfador and Kalenz were not present - they dissapeared after Dwarven Doors, so the scenario was done without them)

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)

3. The last time I played it (I think 1.1.1), the scenario was very difficult, maybe too difficult. But in this version I literally breezezd through it. Since the map was fully revealed, I found the sceptre right away, and just smashed through to it. In addition to getting the sceptre (on turn 20) I also destroyed two of the leaders (a goblin rouser right near the start, and a troll warrior near the sceptre). I did notice, though, that each of the armies only recruited one unit per turn. While this does prevent some of the 'getting bogged down in the tunnels' issue from before, it meant that for most of the scenario, I actually outnumbered the enemy (and with much better units too, because most if not all of what I saw was just wolfriders, goblins and troll whelps)

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?

Very clear

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?

Assuming the dialog is unchanged from the previous versions (since Kalenz and Delfador were gone, I believe I missed some of it), it is fine. The expanding lava pools were a nice touch.

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
Failing to end up with a no-loss scenario. If I'd restarted the scenario, or gone slower, it probably would have been easy to do, since I only lost a thunderer (who was on the receiving end of the troll boss's club and took both hits), and a guardsman who I was using to guard villiages.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
6. It was not nearly as frustrating as it used to be, but there was no real strategy in it. Except for my villiage-covering guardsman, I never encountered any units from the second two leaders. It was just take the most direct route to the sceptre not blocked by lava.

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to
make it more fun?

Faster expanding lava, or lava that totally blocks passages would have made it better, I think. At one point it was filling a passage - except for a 1-hex wide line in it. A steelclad and thunderguard easily dispatched the troll blocking it, and then I rushed through, so the net effect of the lava was just costing me one turn, maybe two, to file through, as opposed to forcing me to turn around and deal with the other two orc armies.

Also, the coloration for the enemy was difficult for me. The green goblin camp was easy to pick out on the minimap (though they only lasted about three turns), as was the orange orc, but I could not really see the brown and black(?) armies on the minimap.

(8 ) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?
400 - I came out of hasty alliance in negative numbers, so just the default 100 plus Li'sar's 300. Even though I ran into negatives in the scenario, I began 'a choice must be made' with over 800, since I finished 40 turns early.

(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list? Don't list them out.
A lot. The ones I used were - in order of importance - 1 lord and 3 steelclads, 2 sylphs, 2 shydes, 1 thunderguard. Plus I leveled up a another steelclad and another thunderguard in the level.

(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
Normal, 1.1.5

(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
3 - wow, what a difference from the old Sceptre

(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
Clear - find the sceptre

(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Whatever

(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
None really - I caned it and ended up with over 2000 gold and a number of level 2 dwarves with a couple of level 3.
Notwithstanding that, healing was a bit of a challenge. My healers couldn't make reasonable time through the cave so I only recalled one. Despite the plethora of villages, most of my units were damaged at the end and getting them out alive was a bit tricky. The villages just didn't seem to be in the right places.

(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
7 - once again, what a difference!

(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
Tweak the difficulty up (just a tad). Even though I had a challenge with healing - with which more villages would help - there are probably more villages than are necessary. But, I also prepared for the old Sceptre and probably over-prepared for this one. Maybe players who weren't traumatised by the old Sceptre would find it just right.

(8 ) How much gold did you have at the start of the scenario?
About 800. I had over 2000 at the end - so many villages and a huge ending bonus. I'm sure the later scenarios will suck it out of me - but this seems excessive.

(9) About how many higher level units did you have in your recall list? Don't list them out.
11 level 3 - only dragonguard and shyde were used
16 level 2 - once again, only one steelclad was relevant